Sheikh Majid Abdullah Al‑Rasheed relates, on the authority of Sheikh Ahmad Al‑Fadhl—who resided in Egypt until his passing—the following story:
After King Saud bin Abdulaziz—may God have mercy on him—left Saudi Arabia in 1964, he later moved to Egypt in 1966 to reside there. He purchased from the Egyptian government one of the nationalized palaces, which had previously belonged to the well‑known Shousha family, whose members were passionate about horse breeding and racing. Two members of the family (the former owners of the palace) approached Sheikh Ahmad Al‑Fadhl, informing him that King Saud had purchased the house they once owned. They asked him to intercede with Prince Mansour bin Saud—since Sheikh Ahmad Al‑Fadhl was a friend of the prince—in hopes that they might be granted an audience with King Saud, perhaps to receive some form of compensation.
Ahmad Al‑Fadhl informed Prince Mansour, who replied that King Saud had purchased the palace from the state. A few days later, Prince Mansour contacted Ahmad Al‑Fadhl and told him that the King had invited the two men to join him for lunch. The two members of the Shousha family, accompanied by Ahmad Al‑Fadhl, went to meet King Saud at his residence in one of Cairo’s hotels.
After lunch, King Saud asked his son Mansour:
“For how much did we purchase the palace?”
Prince Mansour replied:
“For 270,000 Egyptian pounds.”
The King then asked about the additional expenses—registration fees and other costs. Prince Mansour answered:
“The total came to 300,000 Egyptian pounds.”
King Saud immediately said to Prince Mansour:
“Give them the 300,000 Egyptian pounds.”
May God have mercy on King Saud—Abu Khairayn—and grant him the highest ranks of Paradise.
For reference, Sheikh Ahmad Al‑Fadhl was a Saudi from the town of Unaizah who resided in Egypt.